Struggling with Poor Quality Hooves? This May Be Why…
The connection between nutrition and healthy hooves
Does your horse have hooves like this?
This is the hoof of a mare maintained on a pasture and hay only diet.
And it shows. This hoof is screaming deficiency… probably mainly of copper and zinc. But amino acid deficiency may also be contributing.
Her body condition was good… so the pasture and hay was providing enough calories. But there certainly wasn’t enough nutrient there to support hoof health.
So if you are ever told that hay/pasture is all a horse needs, remember that yes, it may be all a horse needs to maintain weight.
BUT to maintain immune function, gut wall integrity, hoof quality, muscle function, bone health and well… everything else your horse needs to stay fit and healthy, pasture and hay just do not (in 95%+ cases) contain enough minerals to do this well. Proper nutrition is key to maintaining healthy horse hooves and so much more.
This is where FeedXL comes in so handy. FeedXL will show you exactly what your pasture or hay is missing so you can top up with just what is needed by YOUR horses.
To learn more, read our post How To Make Sense of Pasture Analysis Results.
Do you have a question or comment? Do you need help with feeding?
We would love to welcome you to our FeedXL Horse Nutrition Facebook Group. Ask questions and have them answered by PhD and Masters qualified equine nutritionists and spend time with like-minded horse owners. It’s free!
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